After spending three years in Japan teaching English as a second language, cultural activist Avah Atherton left there very impressed with that country’s cultural preservation initiatives – the catalyst for a cultural heritage initiative of her own.
Atherton is a virtual intern at the Smithsonian Institution's Centre for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, a research and educational unit of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, where she has published the first of a series of articles on different aspects of TT’s traditional Carnival.
The series is entitled The Art of Rebellion and her first article, The Baby Doll Masquerade in TT’s Carnival, was published last month. The article looks at the ways in which enslaved Africans paid homage to their culture while defying the colonial authorities during the 400 years of slavery in the Caribbean.
“The Smithsonian Institution is the largest museum in the world,” Atherton told WMN.
“It’s actually more accurate to describe it as an educational complex as it’s made up of approximately 17 museums, along with galleries and zoos. The Centre for Folklife and Cultural Heritage promotes cultural heritage in the US and around the world. I left Japan very impressed with their cultural preservation initiatives and wanted to work in the field although my background is in languages.”
[caption id="attachment_924254" align="alignnone" width="768"] Avah Ateherton celebrating Emancipation Day in Japan. Photo courtesy Avah Ateherton -[/caption]
She said when the Smithsonian opened the call for interns, she sent a message asking if it would accept non-US residents and, because the internships were being conducted virtually due to covid19, she was accepted and started in May.
Atherton has an associate’s degree in journalism and public relations from Costaatt as well as a BA in linguistics from UWI, St Augustine. She recently graduated from UWI with a postgraduate diploma in arts and cultural enterprise management.
“I’m trying to change my career trajectory so that I can combine my linguistic background with cultural preservation.”
She said her time in Japan – 2015 to 2018 – in the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme, was very instrumental in her cultural growth and maturity.
“There was something about Japan that felt very strange to me but I couldn’t identify it. Beyond the expected new-ness of the country and their quirks I mean. There was like an unseen social pressure that made its citizens consider others above themselves.”
She said it took some time before she was able to recognise how this way of life directed the actions of the people of Japan and resulted in a society that is high-functioning with virtually no crime and unemployment, effective public services and world-renown hospitality.
[caption id="attachment_924252" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Avah Atherton explores Iwakuni's historical kintai-kyo bridge. Atherton spent three years in Japan teaching English as a second language. Photo courtesy Avah Atherton -[/caption]
“And one that revere
